Chapter 1059: Unbroken Past Twenty-Eight

“Mr. Ji, are you alright then?” Hu Yun asked cautiously. Ji Yuan glanced at him.

“Do I look like something's wrong, Hu Yun? Qin Gong's words, combined with my own faint feelings, actually have a second layer of meaning. Heaven and earth might indeed find it difficult to accommodate me, but not necessarily in the way he thinks.”

Seeing Lu Shanjun about to speak again, Ji Yuan could only smile helplessly. “Alright, alright, I won't interfere. I don't have much strength left anyway.”

Ji Yuan was amused. Did his good disciple really think he was someone who liked causing trouble?

Jujube Maiden, on the other hand, was quite happy. “It would be best if you just rested more in the study, Master. There's nothing here that requires your intervention anyway.”

Hu Yun, off to the side, stuck out his tongue. He was naturally happy that Mr. Ji would be staying at home, but this also meant Lu Shanjun would likely visit more often, perhaps even staying here frequently. Hu Yun returned almost every year. If he hadn't returned for several years, he would stay for a long time on his next visit. Now, he might constantly encounter Lu Shanjun, who would interrogate him about his progress in cultivation and look like a fierce tiger ready to pounce if he hadn't improved. That was too terrifying!

“Mr. Ji truly has little strength left? I, this old man, find that hard to believe.” The Old Dragon said with a hint of sarcasm. He knew Ji Yuan particularly enjoyed hiding his true abilities, and he wouldn't believe such talk as what he had just heard. Then he continued, “However, Divine Lord Qin's current situation is not good. Mr. Ji, do you have any strategies?”

Qin Zizhou was also someone the Old Dragon admired. He didn't want to see Qin Zizhou completely lose himself after a thousand years, even though Qin Zizhou himself said it was an inevitable and irreversible outcome. However, nothing is absolute in this world. If there was one person who could save Qin Zizhou, it would certainly be Ji Yuan.

“Indeed, it requires careful consideration.”

As Ji Yuan pondered, he pointed to the edge of the table, indicating that they should sit down and talk. Only the three most highly cultivated individuals present could discuss such a topic. Even Jujube Maiden, with her superior comprehension, found it hard to follow, and Hu Yun was completely bewildered, even feeling a slight headache from listening. Actually, it would have been better if Qin Zizhou could have been there to deduce and discuss with them, but in his current condition, staying too long near Ji Yuan would make it easier for Ji Yuan to 'manifest' in the world. Therefore, the conversation was brief, and he left immediately after.

After listening for a while, Hu Yun felt his head swelling. Knowing his cultivation was insufficient, he quickly sealed his spiritual senses, allowing himself only to hear the words but not grasp their deeper meaning. This was to prevent these profound principles from hindering his future cultivation.

By the time Hu Yun came to his senses, it was almost evening.

“Oh no, I almost forgot I had something to do!” Hu Yun exclaimed, greeted the people in the courtyard, and then hurried out again. Though he generally shied away from trouble, he was very mindful of his promises.

When Hu Yun left Tianniufang, he saw Sun's Noodle Stall a little further away, where Sun Yiqiu and Li Dongdong were looking towards Tianniufang. Since Hu Yun never told them where he lived, they couldn't go call him and had to wait there. Seeing Hu Yun approach, both were very happy.

“Miss Hu! I thought you weren't coming.”

“Let's go.” Hu Yun glanced at the noodle stall. There were still a few scattered customers ordering, but it wouldn't be long before they closed for the day.

The three walked together, observing the still-lively streets of Ning'an County as pedestrians gradually headed home. They slowly arrived at Miaosi Alley, reaching the entrance of the Temple of Literature.

The Temple of Literature was not actually part of the divine path. As scholarly traditions had spread throughout the land, they had combined with other worldly paths, creating a state of 'a hundred schools of thought contending.' The Temple of Literature was a symbol, one that embodied the world's righteous qi. True scholars who came here did not offer incense or worship as one would to deities; they simply paid their respects out of reverence for the Sage of Literature. However, the Temple of Literature was not exclusively visited by true scholars. Common folk whose families had a child attending school would also come, and even some mediocre scholars would visit as if worshipping a deity. This led to a custom of incense offerings at temples of literature in various regions. Even the Temple of Literature in Ning'an County had a large incense burner outside its main hall, and dedicated temple custodians.

When Sun Yiqiu and the other two arrived, Hu Yun simply followed along. Sun Yiqiu bought the incense to pray for Hong Xuesheng. The three lit their incense, bowed to the statue of the Sage of Literature inside the main hall, and then together exited the hall to place their incense sticks into the incense burner.

Hu Yun generally didn't worship other deities, but he sincerely bowed to the statue of the Sage of Literature, considering him an elder.

However, as Sun Yiqiu was placing the incense sticks, one of the sticks beside them suddenly snapped.

“Ouch!” Sun Yiqiu cried out. The broken incense stick had burned his hand, making him instantly let go. The three incense sticks, not yet firmly placed, all toppled over.

Li Dongdong quickly checked Sun Yiqiu's hand. Hu Yun, meanwhile, frowned slightly, reached out, and straightened the fallen incense sticks. With a subtle flick of his hand, the broken stick reignited.

But a bad premonition had already risen in Hu Yun's heart. He looked back at the statue of the Sage of Literature, then performed a quick divination in his sleeve. No good! They are in danger! Hu Yun performed a divination using the three incense sticks, and it immediately indicated grave misfortune.

“You two carry on. I have an urgent matter and must leave immediately.”

“Hey, what's wrong?” Before Sun Yiqiu could ask further, Hu Yun, having left that remark, had already walked a good distance and quickly disappeared among the other passing incense-offerers.

As soon as he exited the Temple of Literature, wind gathered beneath Hu Yun's feet, his figure becoming increasingly indistinct to those around him until he was completely overlooked. Then, riding the wind, he flew directly out of Ning'an County.

Calculating the direction and then the time, the scholar and the old couple had already boarded a boat and traveled quite a distance downstream. The crisis was vaguely discernible but not clearly calculable; he didn't know what kind of danger it was, nor if he would arrive in time. A fierce wind rose beneath Hu Yun's feet, and his speed rapidly increased. The vague sense of crisis also intensified, and in his spiritual perception, he seemed to hear cries of alarm and screams.

On the street outside Tianniufang in Ning'an County, Sun's Noodle Stall was preparing to close. Sun Yiqiu and his father were tidying up tables and benches together. Just then, two men in martial attire approached. Both were robust and fierce-looking, and both carried swords. One man, with a full beard and a scar on his face, called out even before reaching the stall.

“Innkeeper, two bowls of noodles, two portions of offal, and two bowls of braised meat! Make it quick!”

The two men sat down, their swords visible. After exchanging glances, Sun's father braced himself and said, “Sirs, we might not have enough ingredients left for even one portion. Perhaps you could find something to eat elsewhere? The inn over there still...”

“Hmm?” The bearded man shot Sun's father a cold glance. His companion beside him also stood up. “We only heard this place was good. Since that's the case, Big Brother, let's go somewhere else.”

The bearded man nodded and stood up. However, seeing Sun Yiqiu's look of relief, he suddenly walked over to the noodle cart and took a look. Immediately, his face twisted in rage. In the cart's drawers, two compartments were clearly filled with white flour. Even though he didn't understand business, he could tell at a glance that it was enough for two portions of noodles.

“You dare to lie to me?” With an angry roar, the bearded man drew his sword and slashed. An adjacent table was instantly cut in half, clattering to the ground in two pieces, terrifying Sun's father and son.

“Please calm your anger, sirs! This is our Sun family's rule; we always leave one portion...”

“Hmph hmph hmph, still trying to trick me?” The bearded man flicked his wrist, and as the blade twisted, Sun's father felt his eyes momentarily dazzled by the flash of the sword. Then, a slight coolness brushed his cheek, and the hair at his left temple was shorn off at the roots, falling to the ground. Sun's father trembled slightly as he touched his cheek. The martial aura had enveloped both father and son, bringing with it an intense sense of fear—the threat of death.

“I won't shortchange you. Are you going to make these noodles or not?” The bearded man stared at Sun's father and son. His companion had initially intended to intervene, but at this moment, he too sat back down in his original spot.

Sun's father pulled Sun Yiqiu behind him, gritted his teeth, and said with a forced smile, “S-sirs, please wait a moment. We'll make it right away. Yiqiu, you go home first.”

“Father—”

“Where are you going?” The two men stared at Sun Yiqiu, clearly not letting him leave. Sun's father could only pull Sun Yiqiu behind the noodle cart. “Just a moment, just a moment, it'll be ready soon!” Both were utterly terrified, and with almost no pedestrians around, they could only quicken their pace, praying that the two fierce men would eat and leave.

The noodles boiled in the pot. Soon, two bowls of noodles were taken out and topped with sauces and braised ingredients.

Rumble...

The sky darkened, and faint thunder rumbled.

“Sirs, the noodles are ready. There's only one bowl of offal left, so please make do with that for now. I'll cut the braised meat for you!” Sun's father carried the tray to the table and set it down.

Rumble rumble rumble... The thunder in the sky was suppressed, as if lightning was continuously churning, causing the few pedestrians around to quicken their steps.

Inside the Ju'an Study, the few individuals engrossed in divining heavenly secrets were startled. They frowned slightly and looked up at the sky. Lu Shanjun raised an eyebrow and suddenly stood up.

“Where's Hu Yun?”

Outside Tianniufang, the two bowls of noodles were already on the table. Sun's father had only uttered the first syllable of 'Please enjoy, sirs' when a bright flash of lightning lit up the sky.

Crack, rumble—

Thunder roared in the sky, and violent winds swept across the ground, causing the tarpaulin on Sun's Noodle Stall's canopy to flap wildly. The bearded man, who had also been looking at the changing weather in surprise, suddenly felt a wave of dizziness.

“Hehehehehe, hahahahahaha!”

“Big Brother?” The bearded man stood up, laughing maniacally, picked up the two bowls of noodles, then lightly loosened his grip, smashing them to the ground.

Splat! Splat!

The noodle bowls shattered, noodles scattered across the ground. Lightning danced in the sky, wild winds raged on the earth, and finally, torrential rain poured down. After smashing the noodles, the bearded man shook his head, looked at the ground, and immediately felt anger surge within him.

“How dare you smash my noodles! You're asking for death—”

“Big Brother, stop! Big Brother, you threw them yourself!” His companion looked around, then up at the sky, quickly grabbed his big brother, and without hesitation, pulled him away despite the downpour. “Big Brother, this is too strange. Let's leave quickly.”

“Damn it!” The bearded man also felt that something was amiss. He cursed and left immediately.

Only Sun's father and son remained at the noodle stall, feeling relieved as if they had narrowly escaped disaster.

Inside Ju'an Study, Lu Shanjun, who had been about to step out, froze in place. Ji Yuan's ancient eyes opened slightly. He looked towards the direction outside Tianniufang, and instantly understood what had happened.